WHILE READING ABOUT PESTICIDES and

whether or not they make conventional produce less

healthful than organic, I came across some claims that

organics are more nutritious.  Organic soils are more

complex, given that they usually support different

kinds of crops from year to year and are fertilized

with manure and compost rather than straight-from-

the-bottle nitrate, so it seemed possible to me that

organic fruits and vegetables could be more nutritious. 

    It turns out that not much research has actually

been done on this.  It’s probably hard to find

funding for it.  Nothing I read indicated that there

are any differences in carbohydrate, protein, or fat

content/composition in organic foods.  (OK, there’s

a study or two out there saying that organic pigs and

cows have less saturated fat, but I think if you’re THAT worried about sat fat, you should probably be a vegan).  But there may be differences in antioxidant levels in organic produce.

    Antioxidants are vitamins, enzymes, phytochemicals, and minerals that prevent oxidative damage to the body.  When our cells use oxygen to burn energy, free radicals, or unstable oxygen species, get produced as by products.  Free radicals are highly reactive and can damage other molecules, possibly leading to cancer and heart disease.  Antioxidants act to neutralize free radicals.  So a healthy diet will contain plenty of them.  Antioxidants are found in beans, whole grains, nuts, fruits and vegetables – especially the brightly colored ones – and some are found in dairy and meats.   Importantly, whole foods are a much better source of antioxidants than dietary supplements, because supplements do not provide the same proportions and spectrum of antioxidants that foods do.  In addition, too much of an antioxidant can be as damaging as a deficiency.  So if organic produce is higher in antioxidants, it may be a good way to get more of the best source of antioxidants.

    In a 2005 report by the Chief Scientist at The Organic Center, seven studies directly comparing antioxidant levels in organic and conventional food were reviewed.  In each study, antioxidant levels were higher in the organic food – on average organics had one third more antioxidants.  This makes sense, because antioxidants are part of a plant’s repertoire of molecules that defend against pests and help in wound healing.  Plants treated with synthetic pesticides don’t have to respond to as many challenges from pests, so the hypothesis is that they will have lower antioxidant levels.  The few studies that have been done support this hypothesis, but more research is needed to confirm them and to identify the kinds of plants where the greatest gains in antioxidant production can be had.

    So should organic fruits and vegetables be your antioxidant supplement?  Do you even need supplementation?  The Food and Nutrition Board has established Recommended Daily Allowances for various antioxidants.  But to me, knowing that I should get 15 milligrams per day of Vitamin E is pretty meaningless, because even if I’m eating something I know has Vitamin E, I have no idea how much is in what I’m eating.  And even if I did, I don’t have time to keep a food journal every day.  The best thing I can think to do is to look at the new food pyramid and see how much produce you should eat per day.  The new food pyramid takes your height, weight, age, sex, and activity level and tells you how much of each food group you should have.  If you’re eating the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables, then you’re probably doing fine with antioxidants.  I entered my stats and it told me I should be eating 4.5 cups of fruits and veggies a day.  I doubt I eat that much on a regular basis, so I can give myself an antioxidant boost just by eating what I should. 

    I suppose eating organic fruits and vegetables would be a way to get an antioxidant boost in your diet.  But, like I said, it isn’t clear yet which organic foods have much more antioxidants than their conventional counterparts (in the studies I mention above, some only had an increase of a few percent).  A cheaper way than going organic would be to eat more of the super foods with the highest levels, like berries, broccoli, red, kidney, & pinto beans, artichokes, plums, and even the Russet potato.